Jordan tests GT car for Triple Eight

10:43 - 17 Jul 2014

Reigning British Touring Car champion, Andrew Jordan yesterday completed his maiden laps in one of Triple Eight Race Engineering’s mighty BMW Z4 GT3 at a sunny Silverstone circuit, as team and driver evaluated each other ahead of a potential tie-up next season.

Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Both Triple Eight and Jordan himself were buoyed by the performance over the course of the afternoon, which saw the 25-year-old Pirtek-backed Red Bull athlete progress throughout his fifteen laps on the 3.66 mile Grand Prix layout, consistently setting fast times within the team’s targets.

Ian Harrison, Triple Eight’s Team Principal remarked: “We’ve been keen to have Andy in the car, he’s an intelligent young racer who can adapt his driving for different disciplines. His performance today confirmed our thoughts, and we’ll be discussing potential options to get him into one of our cars next year.”

Emerging from the 500 bhp machine with a grin, Jordan added: “It’s phenomenal. It’s got a little less power in a straight line than the Aston Martin, but it changed direction better and felt more like a go-kart; it just didn’t have the power out of the corners that the Aston does, which you’d expect from a 4.4-litre V8 compared to a 6-litre V12.

Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

“Looking at the data I wasn’t far off where I needed to be. I think if I went at it again I’d expect to be even closer, nibbling away at the breaking distances etc. would help me find a few tenths for certain.”
Having completed laps in the Aston Martin and Nissan GT3s already this year, this was Jordan’s first outing in the BMW Z4, after a test four weeks ago had to be rescheduled. It was worth the wait according to the father-to-be.
“It’s a really good car. It takes me out of my comfort zone having driven touring cars, and it’ll take some learning, but that’s why it was good to have Joe (Osborne) here today to help me with the data. I feel like I made progress in just an hour or so. I’m definitely keen to have another go!

Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

"I’ve said before I’m keen to some endurance races and we've been talking about a few things, but there’s nothing concrete yet.”Triple Eight Race Engineering currently sit fifth in the British GT Team’s Championship, with the next event at one of the most iconic sporting venues in the world, the Brands Hatch GP circuit (30/31 August).
Last year Triple Eight took a pole-position and a pair of top-ten finishes at the Kent track and the Greatworth-based squad is hoping for a repeat performance this year as the championship reaches its climax.